The Secret of Crate 184
by Stella Luce 333
Summary: When a friend of Danny's is in trouble, Clara & the Doctor reunite with Psi & Saibra to bring justice against the corporation that wronged him. But what is hiding in Crate 184? A Doctor Who fic inspired by "The Homecoming Job" from Leverage. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**Takes place during Series 8, between The Caretaker & Kill the Moon.**

Clara's POV:

"Coffee?"

Danny looked up in surprise as I held out his cup for him. "Clara! What are you doing here? How…?"

"I got a ride." I said, nodding towards the TARDIS parked across the street. "I have to admit, this isn't what I pictured when you said New York."

"Yeah, we're a couple of hours from Manhattan, but it makes a world of difference." Danny took a deep breath. "I think getting away from the city is part of why this physical therapy center is so successful."

"How's your friend?" I asked, gently. "Sam…?"

"Steve." Danny corrected. "Major Steven Carr. He's doing all right, considering…"

Danny & Steve had grown up in the orphanage together, at least until Steve was adopted by an American family. They reconnected through Facebook, where they discovered they both served their country. Steve had been currently serving overseas…when he was shot. He survived, but he had been in physical therapy for a few months.

"Considering?" I prompted.

"Well, his insurance is starting to run out." Danny said. "He's a lot better, but if he needs more therapy if he wants to be able to work again." He took a sip of his drink. "The thing is he wasn't even hit by enemy fire! He was filming a video for his fiancée at the time, & the shooting started right after he noticed some armed men affiliated with BlueNet Security."

"So he got shot by friendly fire?" I asked. "He should sue!"

"He did. Despite the video evidence, as well as testimony from others he was serving with at the time, the courts sided with BlueNet. Since it's been officially decided that it was enemy fire, he's stuck with whatever his insurance will cover. He's eligible for the Veterans Hospital, but that's hours away & has a waiting list that's about five months long."

"That's terrible." I said.

"That's life." Danny said. "It would be nice if there were more resources available to those who return home injured, but…" He shrugged. "I guess it is what it is." We came to a stop in front of the physical therapy building.

"Can I meet him?" I asked, impulsively. Danny smiled.

"Why not? He loves having visitors."

* * *

"It just isn't right." I said to the Doctor. Visiting hours were over, & I had gone back to the TARDIS for whatever adventure the Doctor had planned…but Steve's story still bothered me.

"Lots of things in the universe aren't right, Clara." the Doctor said distractedly.

"But BlueNet Security shot him! They should at least pay for his treatment." I said. "He even has proof of it on video!"

The Doctor said nothing. I could tell he was thinking about his own experiences with war…

"You, of all people, know & understand the effects of war." I said. "Isn't there something we can do to help?"

"What exactly do you want to do?" he thundered. "Rob a bank?"

"Well, we've done it before." I shot back. "I don't think it would be nearly as difficult as The Bank of Karabraxos."

"Oh, sure. How exactly do plan on going about this?"

"I dunno." I smiled. "But I know who to ask."

* * *

 **It feels so good to start a new story after dealing with some writer's block! Time Heist is one of my favorite episodes from Series 8, & while this story won't feature a lot of time travel, I think it'll be fun to get the gang back together!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Clara's POV:

We found Psi at a café in a futuristic city. Like many of the other patrons, he was sitting behind his computer, absorbed in his work. He did a double take when he noticed us walking towards him.

"Doctor! Clara!" Psi said, jumping up to greet us. "What are you guys doing here?" We joined him at his table.

"We might have another job for you." I said, softly.

"All right." he said. "Let me just finish this one first." He spent a few minutes typing on his computer, & then shut it down. People's phones started beeping all around us.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Psi said, grabbing his computer. We hurried back to the TARDIS, parked just down the street.

"What was that?" I asked Psi as the Doctor worked the TARDIS controls.

"The JADE phone is the latest & greatest gadget on the market, but there's a design flaw. The batteries sometimes blow up if they get too hot. They've been recalled, but the company is keeping it quiet." He smiled. "But I just sent an unofficial update. Anybody who has the phone will get an alert every hour about the recall."

"You've been keeping busy, then?" I said, with a smile as the TARDIS came to a stop.

We had landed in a beautiful penthouse suite of a swanky hotel.

"Looks like Saibra has done well for herself, then." the Doctor said. Saibra emerged from one of the rooms, wearing a long sleeveless navy blue ball gown with long white evening gloves.

"I'm so happy to see you guys!" she said. "Let me grab just one thing." We followed her back to the room she had come from…to find an older gentleman asleep in the bed.

"Um…We can come back if you're busy." I whispered.

"Actually, I'd appreciate a quick getaway, if you don't mind." Saibra said, pulling the man's wallet out of his jacket pocket. "You don't have to whisper, by the way. The sedative I gave him should last until morning."

"Sedative?" I asked.

"This man is Senator Randal Freeman. He has some very bigoted ideas about mutant humans, so I'm taking the liberty of making a large donation to a mutant rights group on his behalf. When the news gets out, & a friend of mine will make sure that is does, he'll have to either change his platform, or his supporters will abandon him." As she was talking, Saibra entered his credit card information into her phone, presumably to make the donation online. She glanced up after she finished.

"What? Did you really think the Bank of Karabraxos was my first heist?" She put the credit card back into the wallet & threw her phone on the bed.

"Let's get out of here."

"Don't you need your phone?" I asked.

"Oh, that's not my phone. It's his."

* * *

After setting the TARDIS somewhere in space, the Doctor led us to a conference room in the TARDIS. I showed the others a copy of the video, & explained the situation.

"So, why did BlueNet win the court case? You can very clearly see that it wasn't enemy fire." Saibra asked.

"According to Major Carr, it was inadmissible in court, thanks to some clever moves by BlueNet's lawyers."

"Now Clara wants to steal money from them, despite the fact that these security firms often have a private army at their disposal." the Doctor said.

"Just enough to cover the rest of Major Carr's treatment." I said.

"I don't think we have to steal any money." Psi said. "A cover up like this always leaves a paper trail. If we can break into BlueNet's office, steal the evidence, then we can blackmail them. They'll give us whatever money we want…as long as you guys are ok with that." Psi & Saibra looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"No offense, but it's pretty obvious that you don't have too much experience being a thief." Saibra said. "It's not like this is a thrill ride. There are real risks involved."

"I know." I said. "But BlueNet did this. They should be the ones to pay for treatment."

Psi & Saibra shared a look & smiled.

"So what's the plan?"

* * *

 **Now that we've assembled our cast of characters, it's time for the real fun to begin…**

 **Please review!**


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